Randy Owen’s fiddler Megan Mullins was late flying into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport tonight, so the former Alabama rocker couldn’t go on at 7:30 as scheduled.

Lucky for him, Wade Hayes, the lead guitarist in his road band and a solo country artist in his own right was willing and able to keep the audience entertained while they waited.

And fittingly, when Mullins did make it, Owen’s first number was Alabama favorite “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You’ve Gotta Have a Fiddler in the Band).”

Owen got the audience singing along early on, even inviting several audience members on stage — provided they made a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Read Tuesday’s Chronicle for a full report on the concert from the CT’s John Benson.

Click here to see more photos, and click here for more about lead guitarist and opening act Wade Hayes.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 371-0792 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

Randy Owen, right, and lead guitarist and opening performer Wade Hayes jam Monday night. (Photo by Rona Proudfoot, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

I hate sweet potatoes. I don’t mean I dislike them. I mean I harbor deep, deep hatred for them. I want sweet potatoes to die.

(They even brought me to tears once. I was attempting a sweet potato hash recipe from Rachael Ray. The sweet potatoes involved were super hard, and cutting them into 1/2-inch cubes proved even harder. I saw blood. Let’s just say, this was only resolved when my boyfriend sent me upstairs to take a bath and relax while he finished dinner.)

Considering those feelings, you might think I’d run the other direction from sweet potato fries. But I once — ONCE, ONLY — had sweet potatoes that I didn’t wish bad things upon, and those were homemade sweet potato chips (topped with cinnamon sugar and eaten with cinnamon cream cheese).

So I figured I’d give the spuds another chance in the spirit of trying some new fair food.

Sweet potato fries

As I was out looking for food I found a booth were everything, and I mean everything, was fried. I considered trying fried green tomatoes, but I’ve never even seen the movie. I resisted ordering an old favorite, fried pickles (which I fell in love with at Ghoulardi’s in Lorain).

I summoned all my strength and ordered the sweet potato fries. I topped them with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar.

And … I survived. And there weren’t even any tears!

They were actually pretty good, though I’d consider them more of a dessert item than lunch, which was what I’d been out hunting. I think the take-home lesson from this is … if you don’t like it, just throw a pound of sugar at it!

What fair food should I try next? Leave me a comment or contact me directly, and your suggestion could be my lunch!

Come find me at the Lorain County Fair this week, and let me put you on Chroniclet.com.

Look for my pictures, videos and stories on Chroniclet.com. I’ll also be posting fair judging results, stories, photos and videos from other Chronicle reporters and photographers and interviews from WEOL.

I’ll be out here all week, blogging from the tent The Chronicle-Telegram is sharing with WEOL-AM 930 and K96. If I’m not seated at my laptop, you’ll find me roaming the fairgrounds with my camera and notepad. Just look for my bright gold Chroniclet.com T-shirt.

Let me snap your picture, and I’ll put you online.

Listen to me being interviewed on WEOL-AM 930.

My coworker Bruce Bishop snapped this photo of me in my snazzy Chroniclet.com T-shirt as I covered the fair opening ceremonies this morning.

BEST WRITING PROJECT

• Michaela Pinzone, Big Dogs 4-H Club (Award Sponsor: Chronicle Telegram)

BEST CONSERVATION PROJECT

• Michael Lott, Future Frontiers 4-H Club (Award Sponsor: Lorain County Soil & Water Conservation District)

BEST GARDENING PROJECT

• LaTasha Perkins, LaGrange Hip Hoppers (Award Sponsor: Cheri’s Touch Interiorscapes)

BEST HORTICULTURE PROJECT

• Mary Eichinger, Rochester Winning Workers (Award Sponsor: Cheri’s Touch Interiorscapes)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 1st place: Cade Christoff, All Purpose Farmers (Award Sponsor: Kim Burgess)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 2nd place: Jordyn Stoll, Brighton Buckeyes (Award Sponsor: Vicki Denes)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 3rd place: Erica Nary, Grafton Grangers (Award Sponsor: LaGrange Sod Busters 4-H Club)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 1st place: Meghan Bremke, Barnyard Buddies (Award Sponsor: Kim Burgess)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 2nd: Alexandrea Branham, Barnyard Buddies (Award Sponsor: LifeShare Community Blood Services)

BEST FINE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 3rd place: Craig Lupinski, Desperados (Award Sponsor: Ed Dussel & Family)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 1st place: Erik DeChant, Tri-City Critters (Award Sponsor: Ed Dussel & Family)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 2nd place: Austin Lenz, All-Purpose Farmers (Award Sponsor: Vicki Denes)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – JR. DIVISION

• 3rd place: Samantha Sparks, Rochester Winning Workers (Award Sponsor: LaGrange Sod Busters 4-H Club)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 1st place: Stephen Elder, Barnyard Buddies (Award Sponsor: Ed Dussel & Family)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 2nd place: Brianna Ray, LaGrange Sod Busters 4-H Club (Award Sponsor: Ed Dussel & Family)

BEST OUTSIDE WOODWORKING – SR. DIVISION

• 3rd place: Dylan Barris, Wellington Happy Farmers (Award Sponsor: Ed Dussel & Family)